Avery nodded to Ascott and her attention flickered between the men.
“Officer Minicozzi is right outside if you need anything, or remember anything, alright?” Noah stood from his chair.
As soon as they were out the door, Sadie came back in with a tea in her hands.
“Did you hear what I told them?”
Sadie nodded and handed her the cup.
“Good, because I don’t know when I’ll be able to talk about it again. I just can’t…”
Sadie pushed the chair closer and sat down.
“It’s okay.” Sadie nodded and watched, as Avery held her stomach in her hands.
It ached from the intensity moments before, and Avery closed her eyes, and tried to push the pain away.
Chapter 23
“Dr. Freebush, I’m Inspector Ascott. I need to ask you a few questions about your patient, Avery Hart.”
“Now?” The lines in his forehead multiplied, “An officer was just by.”
Ethan looked to Noah, and back to the doctor. “I’m sure you’ve got important things to do, but talking to us could also save lives. It won’t take too long. What were her injuries?”
“I’ll show you.” They followed Dr. Freebush into the room down the hallway. “These pictures are after the stitching, but before we bandaged. Due to the blood loss, I had to close the wounds as quickly as possible.”
“I understand.” Ethan closed the door behind them and the doctor pulled a file from the wall organizer.
“They are mostly superficial, and I know what you’re wondering. Why was it such an emergency to stitch her up if the incisions weren’t deep right?” The doctor handed Ethan the file.
Ethan opened it so Noah could see, and passed him the first page. Noah stared at the picture of Avery’s stomach slashed open in so many places. Ten wounds, each roughly four inches long.
Ethan turned the paper out of Noah’s sight, upside down, and then on its sides.
“We’ll need a copy of this.”
“Of course. The nurse’s station can do that for you before you leave.”
Ethan nodded. “Would you say the person who did this wanted to kill her?”
“Slowly maybe. He might have been trying to make her bleed out. It’s difficult to speculate. If this was all he meant to do, then no. I don’t think it was meant to kill her. We can’t know the answer to that.”
Noah watched the doctor take the chart back. “Is Avery alright otherwise?”
“The psychological effects might be worse than the physical. With a week’s rest, she’ll heal fine. No infections, as long as she takes her anti-biotic. No permanent damage, except the scars.”
Ethan extended his hand to the doctor. “Thank you Dr. Freebush. I’ll let you get back to what you were doing, as soon as we get a copy of that picture.”
“It’ll be ready at the nurse’s station when you are.” The doctor left the room, and they followed.
“What do you think?” Noah asked and grabbed the picture from Ethan.
The marks were in no particular pattern or order from what he could see.
Ethan rested his hands on his hips. “If we’re dealing with our killer, the mask has something to do with it. Avery means something to him. If it’s because of the way she called him out on the news, that’s one thing, but he didn’t kill her and he could have. He might know her, or know of her from before, from her attack.”
“You think he knows Charla in some way too? Knew what she did?”
“We’ve gotta get back to the department. Charla’s aunt Maggie’s coming in, and we’ve got to see if the picture matches the description. If it does, someone from Charla’s family knows where the mask went. It’s our best lead.”
“Right.”
“Oh, by the way,” Ethan lowered his voice, “the man after Fiona whistled too. It’s our guy.”
As Ethan hurried to the nurse’s station, Noah let his last words sink in, and popped his head back into Avery’s room. Sadie turned her attention to the door, and cleared her throat.
“She’s sleeping again.”
“I’ll be back, okay?” He asked. “Will you tell her that?”
Sadie nodded, and Noah nodded at Owen, before following Ethan out.
Ethan held the door open to the parking garage. “I think we might need more security on Fiona. She won’t like it, but she might have to go away for a while. Avery too.”
“Meet you back there.” Noah called, as Ethan headed for his car.
As much as he hoped Maggie had a picture to show them, he wished the girls wouldn’t have to look at the face of their attacker again to prove it was one in the same. They’d both been through enough, and although Owen and Dr. Freebush were right about the girls being lucky, Noah knew they weren’t out of the woods yet.
Chapter 24
“I’m so sorry, Avery.” Sadie sat beside her, and gestured to a vase of flowers by the wall. “They brought you these and they said they’d be back.”
“Sadie, it’s okay. I’m not surprised they didn’t stay. I don’t blame them really because I wasn’t even awake.”
“They’re your parents.” Sadie shrugged. “I’m apologizing for me too by the way.”
“What? Why?”
“I should have stayed with you last night.”
“You couldn’t have stopped this from happening. You would have been hurt too, or worse.”
“I’m the one that got you to call the news…”
“Sadie, do you know how nice it is to wake up here and not be all alone? I appreciate how much you care about me. Don’t blame yourself.”
“I do care about you.” She sighed, and wiped her eyes. “You’ve been the closest thing to a sister to me since high school. I love you, girl.”
“I know you do.” Avery smiled.
“I’m so sorry this happened to you. I’m not letting you out of my sight.”
“That’s not realistic. You have to go to work.”
Sadie pursed her lips, and looked down at the bed.
“I…are you scared Avery?”
Avery watched the sun dip behind a few clouds and the room went gray. She thought about the masked man running toward her, down her hallway.
Sadie rubbed her lips, and sighed. “I don’t want you to be scared Avery. You’ve been scared for a long time now.”
A knock on the door turned their attention, and Avery smiled when she saw Josh in the doorway wearing the same brown jacket he always wore and a vase of flowers in his hands.
“I hope I’m not interrupting.” To see him carrying something so feminine caused laughter to rumble inside her, but before she could start, her stomach warned her that the medication was wearing off.
“No, that’s fine. Those are beautiful. Thank you.”
Josh put the vase down on the windowsill beside the flowers her parents left her.
“Hey Josh.” Sadie stood up and looked down at her. “They said you could go home as soon as tomorrow. Will you let me take you home?”
“Yeah, thanks.”
Sadie left the room and her bohemian skirt flowed behind her.
“Asher’s getting you some real food.” Josh took Sadie’s seat. “I couldn’t wait to see you, so I just ran up by myself.”
“That’s sweet.”
“I hate to see you like this again.”
Avery cleared her throat, and even that slight movement sent pains through her midsection.
“Are you okay?”
“The doctor says I’ll be fine. Like Sadie said, I can go home tomorrow.”
Josh looked her in the eyes and then scanned down to the foot of the bed. “I told Veronica you’d be away for a while. The flowers are from her too. Her idea.”
Avery smiled. “Tell her thank you.”
She wondered how much Josh wanted to know about her attack. The details were too hard for her, but he hadn’t addressed any general curiosity either. When an awkward silence followed, she decided to leave it alone.
&
nbsp; “How’s Louie doing?”
“He’s with his foster parents now.” A small smile greeted Josh’s lips. “They seem like nice people. Anyway, when I told Veronica about, you know, she said you shouldn’t stay away for too long.”
“I know, I know. We heal the animals, and they heal us.” Avery smiled, and thought of the first time she heard the saying, back when she first started volunteering at the shelter.
Josh had gotten her into it at first, and her parents supported her when she told them she wanted to become a vet. Since she’d changed her mind, they showed no interest in her involvement.
“I hate the thought of you livin’ on your own right now.”
Avery hadn’t thought about returning home, but his words made her queasy.
He squinted at her, and rubbed his beard. “I want you to try to lay low and stay out of all this. Can you do that?”
“He’s going to do it again Josh. I know it sounds crazy, but not when you think about it. There are police inspectors following the case. They were here a while ago. He left me alive.”
“I don’t like it Avery. You shouldn’t be involved in any of this.”
“Well I am now.”
“Sadie should have never told you to call the news.”
“Josh, it’s not her fault. I did it.”
“I know, I’m sorry. Sadie feels terrible,” He rubbed his eyes. “You must be exhausted.”
“Yeah.” Avery fumbled with her gown. “The choice was mine Josh.”
He wiped his mouth and kept his hand on his chin. “If you go home, I don’t want you to ever be alone. You’ve got Sadie and me and Asher. Maybe your parents…”
They shared a look, and Avery licked her lips.
“If there is ever a time when someone won’t be with you, you call me. Day or night, I don’t care. Until they find out who did this, I… do they know how he got in?”
“Through my balcony. I don’t know how he got on it though.”
“Did you leave it unlocked?”
She raised her brows. “No, I’m sure I didn’t. I never have.”
“Well, depending on what the police find out about how he got in, maybe you shouldn’t go home at all.”
“I don’t know…”
“Avery,” his Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat, “why do you think he did this to you?”
“I don’t know for sure, but…it just felt like he was there on a mission. It’s hard to explain, but at first, when he cut me,” She saw him wince, and her heart ached for the way he sympathized with her. “He was going really slow. When he heard the sirens, he went faster, like he was trying to finish it, whatever it was.”
“It doesn’t make sense.”
“I don’t feel safe Josh, but I feel a lot safer because of you, Sadie, and the police. I just want them to find this guy.”
“What if it wasn’t who they think it is?”
Avery looked to the window, past her flowers, and through the tree leaves that rustled in the wind.
“I’m sorry Josh. I’m feeling kind of tired.”
“I’ll get Sadie. I’m glad she called me. When Asher gets here, I’ll just make sure to leave the food for you.”
Avery nodded. “Tell him thank you. And thank you, Josh.”
He nodded and left the room.
When she was sure he was gone, she let her tears fall, and turned to face the window. If the police couldn’t catch the man who did this to her, she wasn’t going home.
It didn’t even feel like home anymore.
Chapter 25
“This was the only picture I could find, but I knew I had at least one.” Maggie Henderson sat across from them, and handed Ethan the envelope.
Noah saw the family resemblance between Maggie, her sister, and Charla. Maggie had the same piercing green eyes as Charla, and the same mousey brown hair as her sister.
Ethan took the picture out and held it up for Noah to see. It was a dark picture, but there was a woman they recognized as Charla’s mom, dressed as Marilyn Monroe, and her dad wore a mask with plain clothes.
Right away, Noah recognized the mask, and they compared it to the police sketch that Fiona gave them. Next, they placed it beside the one from Avery’s case file. Although there were small changes, Noah believed it was the same one.
“Thank you Mrs. Henderson.” Ethan set the photo down. “Have you seen the mask since this photo?”
She shook her head. “I’d remember if I did. Masks like that scare me, especially on Halloween. I like to see a person’s face.”
“So you never saw it at the Kent’s after that Halloween?”
“No. I think my sister was saying she thinks they might have sold it at a yard sale. I don’t know how she can’t remember though. I’d have made it my mission to get rid of the thing.”
“Did your husband come with you?” Noah asked, and picked up the pictures.
“No. He’s away on a trip. If you don’t have any more questions, I’ve got to be heading home to be there when he comes back. We live in Cedar Ridge.”
“Here’s my card.” Ethan slid it across the table. “Please call me if you or your husband remember anything else.”
When Maggie left, they both sat in the room and stared at the photos Noah laid out on the table.
“They look similar.” Ethan mumbled from behind his hand.
“I don’t think it’s safe to assume they are the same, but to be honest, I think we should work with that theory.”
“Okay, that means the mask was used for the first time at this Halloween party in the eighties. Then it was put away, and not seen again until Charla found it in the garage, and decided to use it as a prank with Jolene on Avery. She says she brought it back home, probably put it in the box where she found it, and then it wouldn’t have been seen again until the sale.”
Noah pulled Avery’s sketch beside the Halloween picture. “So if it was bought in a yard sale, there is a large possibility that someone from the surrounding neighborhoods purchased it.”
“And yet, after seeing the sketch on the nightly news, no one in any of the towns and cities within the surrounding regions has come forward in recognition.”
“Maybe the Kents threw it out?” Noah leaned closer to Maggie’s photo. “If it wasn’t sold at the yard sale.”
“Maybe.”
Noah pulled Fiona’s sketch closer to Avery’s. “It was during the time between Avery’s original sketch and Fiona’s sketch that the murders started, right?”
“Right. So you think Avery’s attack could have been the…what, inspiration?”
“Or the beginning of these attacks in some way.” Noah ran his fingers through his hair and massaged his neck. “Who else knew the details of the attack? Did Charla tell anyone about using the mask?”
Ethan crossed his arms. “She said she didn’t. Said Jolene threatened her.”
“We’ll have to ask again. Otherwise, the attack was seen as a prank on a high school student. No one believed Avery about it, so that leaves Charla and Jolene. Charla had the mask. We need to talk to her again.”
“Noah, I haven’t officially asked you to come on the case, but I think it’s in our best interests to work together.”
“Thank you Ethan.” They shook hands and Noah beamed. “I appreciate this. Thank you.”
“We’ll bring Charla back in this afternoon then, and ask her some more questions. Until then, could you visit Avery, and see if there is any other info she’s got on her attacker? I’m going to see Fiona to do the same.”
“Sure thing. I’ve got a funeral to go to before that.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
“No, not for me. For a case I’m working on. Drowned man in Crown River.”
“Ah right. How’s that coming?”
Noah shook his head. “Nothing yet.”
“I’ll get Owen to call Charla in.”
“See you then.”
Noah decided to call his dad when he got home to tell him about his pro
motion. He could already guess the first thing his dad would say.
I wish your mom could see you now.
It was what he told Noah after each big accomplishment since his mom died. Noah thought the same thing each time too, but when Noah said he wished she was there after getting into college, his dad had cried. Since then, instead of sharing his thoughts, he hugged his dad. The phone call would be more difficult, but Noah still couldn’t wait to tell him the news.
He was on the biggest case Crown River had ever seen.
Chapter 26
When Noah reached the funeral home, he paid his respects to Mrs. Hornby, and noticed a long line waiting to talk to her behind him. He asked if there was anyone else he could talk to who knew Grant Hornby well. She pointed to a man who was headed for the exit door and whispered his name.
“Darrel Beelson?” Noah called when he was just a few paces behind.
“Who wants to know?” The man in the brown suit turned around and gave Noah a dirty look.
“I’m Inspector Cotter from the Crown River police department. I need to ask you a few questions about your friend Grant Hornby. Mrs. Hornby said I should speak to you. That you knew him best.” The last part he added and hoped he would flatter the man.
“Oh,” Darrel took a step towards him, “Alright, but I need a smoke.”
Noah followed him out to the back parking lot, where the group dispersed.
“Do you know anyone who would have any reason to want to kill Grant Hornby?”
“Nope,” He lit his cigar, “Grant was a great guy. Great friend to everyone.”
“What was your relationship with him?”
“Friend for years, maybe close to twenty. We didn’t keep track. I met him up at a friend’s cottage. My buddies like to go up north during hunting season. That’s where we met. Friends ever since.”
“Did you see him any time other than at the cottage?”
“Yeah, barbeques in Birch Falls or Cedar Ridge every year. Never missed it. Jen Hornby’s potato salad is amazing.”
“Any of your friends not like him?”
“Nope. Like I said, he was everyone’s buddy.” Darrel took a few puffs of his cigar in the silence that followed. “Probably wasn’t cut out to be a hunter though. I think he just went up to hang out with us.”
Lies Come True Page 8
